Department profile · Passaic County
Clifton Police Department
Reported as: Clifton PDMunicipal police
Jurisdiction context
Civil service jurisdiction
Discipline at this department is governed by the Title 4A civil service framework, matched to Clifton on the New Jersey Civil Service Commission roster.
Read how the process works or the Title 4A glossary. Browse NJCSNavigator’s civil service jurisdiction directory for the full local-jurisdiction roster.
Reflects the NJCSC Appendix A roster as of 2026-07-04. Context only, not legal advice.
In brief
Clifton Police Department operates as a municipal police agency in Passaic County. It listed 51 sworn officers in 2025 and 88 internal affairs investigations for the year. Its rate of 172.5 investigations per 100 officers was above the 125.6 median for municipal police. Of the 88 investigations detailed for 2025, 7 reported sustained complaints. The most common allegation was demeanor.
The department reported 3 major discipline records across the 2020 through 2025 releases, 1 of which resulted in a termination. On the report card it received a grade of D, which places it at the 72nd percentile of its peer group of departments with 30 to 59 officers, 38 peers in all. A higher volume of internal affairs activity can reflect either more misconduct or a stronger reporting culture.
Written by this site strictly from the figures on this page; every number is cited below.
Sworn officers, 2025
51[1]
IA investigations, 2025
88[1]
Incidents, 2025
87[1]
Major discipline records
3
All years, 2020-2025
Internal affairs investigations by year
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | 61 | 73 | 65 | 88 |
Complaint mix, 2025
Most serious allegation per investigation, as categorized by the reporting agency. Allegations are not findings: of 88 investigations, 7 reported one or more sustained complaints. Officer-level rows list 78 officers involved.[7]
Most serious allegation
| not provided | 39 |
|---|---|
| Demeanor | 28 |
| Excessive Force | 8 |
| Differential Treatment | 7 |
| Improper Entry | 3 |
| Improper Arrest | 3 |
Internal disposition
| Unfounded | 50 |
|---|---|
| Exonerated | 13 |
| Not Sustained | 11 |
| Sustained | 7 |
| not provided | 6 |
| Administratively Closed | 1 |
Against peers, 2025
| Clifton PD | 172.5 |
|---|---|
| County median, municipal police (18) | 123.2 |
| NJ median, municipal police (447) | 125.6 |
Investigations per 100 sworn officers, using the officer counts each agency reported for 2025. A higher number is ambiguous on its own: it can reflect more misconduct, or a stronger internal reporting culture. Medians are computed within the same agency type only.
Major discipline records
| Year | Officer | Rank | Sanction as reported | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Justin Varga | PO | Terminated | [8] |
| 2023 | Vincent Martino | Police Officer | Separated while IA pending | [9] |
| 2022 | Matthew West | Police Officer | Suspended 45 days | [10] |
Every name links to the officer's record page with the agency's full synopsis and citation.
Questions and answers
- How many internal affairs investigations did Clifton Police Department report in 2025?
- Clifton Police Department reported 88 internal affairs investigations in 2025, according to New Jersey Attorney General data. It reported 51 sworn officers that year.
- How many major discipline records does Clifton Police Department have?
- Clifton Police Department has 3 major discipline records in the Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, of which 1 were terminations. These are final, adjudicated actions, not allegations.
Sources
- [1]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2445. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [2]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 407. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [3]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1428. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [4]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1935. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [5]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 909. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [6]New Jersey Internal Affairs Agency Totals, 2021-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 2445. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. ↩
- [7]New Jersey Internal Affairs Investigations, 2024-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Sheet1", row 1. Snapshot retrieved 2026-06-09. Aggregated from every Clifton PD row for 2025; row 1 is the header. ↩
- [8]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 1239. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
- [9]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 1849. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
- [10]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 2280. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩